Death and Shadows

Ch.14 Confession and End

~Nico's POV~

There were too many goodbyes.

That night was the first time I saw camp burial shrouds used on bodies, and it was not something I wanted to see again. Looking at all the young bodies was hard to watch.

Among the dead was a guy from the Apollo cabin named Lee Fletcher who had been downed by a giant's club. He was wrapped in a golden shroud without any decorations. The son of Dionysus who'd gone down fighting an enemy half-blood was wrapped in a deep purple shroud embroidered with grapevines. His name was Castor. His twin brother, Pollux, tried to say a few words, but he choked up and just took the torch. He lit the funeral pyre in the middle of the amphitheater, and within seconds the row of shrouds was engulfed in fire, sending smoke and sparks up to the stars.

Lia and I watched from the very back of the amphitheater. She was silent for almost the entire ceremony. She told me she wanted to watch from the back so she didn't bring any of the dead back accidentally, and that the Fates would probably have her head if she did. The ones who died in the battle were meant to die. Lia also told me no one at the camp besides Percy and Annabeth knew who her dad was, and she wanted to keep it that way. She was afraid if they knew, the campers would be begging her to bring their fallen siblings and friends back from the dead. She didn't want to any of them be disappointed or given false hope.

Lia made me stay at the camp for a day to rest. Neither of us could help the wounded really, so Lia and I spent the day together. It reminded me of when we were traveling together all those months ago. The entire time we hung out, I wanted to find out more about what happened when she saw Cameron again, but she changed the topic each time I asked. I slowly figured out why I was so desperate to know what Lia did with Cameron. I wasn't sure if I was confident enough to act on my newfound notion.

Dinner time rolled around, and the sunset over Long Island seemed to be the cherry on top to the end of another day. Lia and I had been invited to sit at the Hermes table, and even at the head table with Chiron, but we both refused. We had our own reasons, and it was easy for me to figure out why Lia said no. With her offers being getting crammed onto a table full of people or being in the center of attention- it was no surprise to me that Lia chose neither. So we hung out in the shadows at the edge of the pavilion. Lia got me to eat a couple of fries off of a magical plate she had taken, but I didn't eat much else. My stomach tumbled at the thought of what I was going to do later.

After dinner, the campers headed toward the amphitheater, where Apollo's cabin promised an awesome sing-along to pick up our spirits, but I turned and disappeared into the woods with Lia.

"Where are we going, Nico?" she asked.

"I need to do something before we go," I said.

Lia didn't stay anything else as we ventured into the forest. It had gotten dark, but the night and the trees didn't scare either of us. After a few minutes of walking, we entered a clearing. I took a deep breath and chanted softly in Greek. The night air stilled, and the already silent woods somehow got quieter. Right when I incanted her name, a shimmering figure appeared in front of Lia and me.

I choked down a sob. Bianca looked exactly like how she did back at the Triple G Ranch. I felt so happy to see her again, but I also felt a looming sadness in the corner of my mind.

"Nico," Bianca said. She smiled warmly at me. Her form lit up the darkness.

"Bianca," I rasped out.

In the corner of my eye, I could see Lia trying to back away, but I grabbed her hand. For once, she didn't flinch. I squeezed her hand.

"You didn't bring me back," Bianca noted, though she didn't seem disappointed about it.